Reviews

Countless new manga have come from Shounen Jump’s weekly magazine, of which an equal many number have met an unfortunate and swift end from falling sales. Of these series, many can see the common signs; often they have traditional shounen tropes, potentially interesting settings, or otherwise impressive art. One genre that has been somewhat universally known as usually less-than-stellar though comes in the form of comedic manga. Comedy as an art form is hard enough, and when one tries to manage all the secondary aspects that comes with making a manga that already difficult task becomes split even further. Thus, it’s not too terribly shocking the hear that completely comedy-focused manga aren’t terribly common, often being mixed with other genres as a supplement. So, when a fully-focused gag manga rears its head and appears on the scene, it’s usually at least worth noting. Such was the case with Ichigoki’s Under Control, a fun comedic series appearing in November of 2022 that sought to fill the otherwise rarely touched seat of a gag manga in the Weekly Shounen Jump. With all the aforementioned baggage on its plate, just how did Ichigoki do? Well, based on its history, one can likely extrapolate just how it ended.

[Writing]
As a gag comedy, Ichigoki is rather light on otherwise important aspects for a manga like an overarching story or particularly deep themes, but what it does have remains nothing much to scoff at either. Though rather simple, its narrative is fun and absurd to properly justify the ridiculous gags throughout. Similarly, while they don’t provide much in terms of deep characterization or nuanced motivations, all the characters are completely out there, enabling much in terms of comedic potential. The pacing is another point of serious contention, given that sometimes years pass in a matter of a single chapter, though this is always done for a gag more than anything else, and does end up tying rather well into the eventual final closing of the story. Overall, though just about everything is completely absurd and nonsensical, it hits those ideas rather well, tying into an at least decently told story of enjoying life.
[Grade - B]

[Presentation]
Regarding presentation, Ichigoki once again falls into being neither horrendous nor outstanding. The art has an appealing style with good paneling even if it’s nothing extraordinary and the world, though initially the run-of-a-mill high school, also branches out to zany and crazy locations that, while not too visually jaw-dropping still offer some nice variety. It comes together to make the manga generally passable in quality, as an aspect that doesn’t really stick out one way or another.
[Grade - B-]

[Fun Value]
By far the most enjoyable aspect of Ichigoki is the sheer fun value that comes from reading it; the story is simply filled with such absurdity and randomness that it’s a thrill going through. Caring not for the further implications of its ideas or world, the manga just throws everything at you depending on the scenario to find the funniest thing possible. While it doesn’t make it much in terms of actual story or writing quality, it makes the moment-to-moment highly enjoyable.
[Grade - A-]

In all, though Ichigoki’s Under Control doesn’t particularly shine in any areas of its writing or art or anything like that, it’s generally quite the fun experience. The plot and characters are serviceable to the vibe it’s attempting to capture, with some legitimately feel-good-ness thrown in as well. Its art and paneling also don’t offer much that is unique or stunning, but are passable enough to not distract. It’s overall a nice-feeling time with amusing gags and absurd comedy that, while it won’t leave a terribly long overall impression, is fun to read in the moment.
[Grade - B]